Author: dave

FIS, 30 April 2019:

The April 25th announcement by Danish Minister of Fisheries, that she is willing to cut the 2019 quota for Eastern Baltic cod by 70 per cent, has been criticised by a non governmental organisation.

“That Denmark’s fisheries minister Eva Kjer Hansen will now cooperate with her Baltic counterparts to close Eastern Baltic cod fisheries is a step in the right direction, but her proposal is far too little, too late,” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Our Fish campaign coordinator in Denmark.

“The Minister’s proposal to reduce the quota by 70 per cent is less impressive than she would have us believe – an enormous 7,233 tonnes of cod will still be fished, under the questionable auspices of ‘unavoidable bycatch’. This will not save eastern Baltic cod, and only serves to perpetuate overfishing by an industry that is renowned for failing to transition to a sustainable model.”

FIS: NGO criticises Danish minister’s proposal to protect Baltic cod

FIS, 30 April 2019:

The April 25th announcement by Danish Minister of Fisheries, that she is willing to cut the 2019 quota for Eastern Baltic cod by 70 per cent, has been criticised by a non governmental organisation.

“That Denmark’s fisheries minister Eva Kjer Hansen will now cooperate with her Baltic counterparts to close Eastern Baltic cod fisheries is a step in the right direction, but her proposal is far too little, too late,” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Our Fish campaign coordinator in Denmark.

“The Minister’s proposal to reduce the quota by 70 per cent is less impressive than she would have us believe – an enormous 7,233 tonnes of cod will still be fished, under the questionable auspices of ‘unavoidable bycatch’. This will not save eastern Baltic cod, and only serves to perpetuate overfishing by an industry that is renowned for failing to transition to a sustainable model.”

FIS: NGO criticises Danish minister’s proposal to protect Baltic cod

The Danish fisheries minister Eva Kjer Hansen has called on other Baltic countries to substantially cut the fishing quotas for Baltic cod this year, ahead of a total stop in 2020.

Scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) have found that levels of Baltic cod are now so low that even a total ban on cod fishing in 2020 would not be enough for cod levels to reach even the lowest bottom limit of the stock in 2021.

“We cannot solve the problem in Denmark alone,” said Hansen. “Therefore, I would suggest to my colleagues from the other Baltic countries that the total cod quota in the eastern Baltic Sea be reduced by 70% this year already. This will mean a stop for targeted cod fishing, but still allow for bycatch of cod in other fisheries.”

However, Hansen’s proposal has been criticized by the environmental campaign Our Fish, who described the decision to cut the 2019 quota by 70% as “far too little, far too late”.

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, coordinator of the Danish Our Fish campaign, said: “The minister’s proposal to reduce the quota by 70% is less impressive than she would have us believe — an enormous 7,233t of cod will still be fished, under the questionable auspices of ‘unavoidable bycatch’. This will not save eastern Baltic cod, and only serves to perpetuate overfishing by an industry that is renowned for failing to transition to a sustainable model.”

Continue reading: Danish minister’s call for 70% slash in Baltic cod quota ‘too little, too late’ says NGO

The Danish fisheries minister Eva Kjer Hansen has called on other Baltic countries to substantially cut the fishing quotas for Baltic cod this year, ahead of a total stop in 2020.

Scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) have found that levels of Baltic cod are now so low that even a total ban on cod fishing in 2020 would not be enough for cod levels to reach even the lowest bottom limit of the stock in 2021.

“We cannot solve the problem in Denmark alone,” said Hansen. “Therefore, I would suggest to my colleagues from the other Baltic countries that the total cod quota in the eastern Baltic Sea be reduced by 70% this year already. This will mean a stop for targeted cod fishing, but still allow for bycatch of cod in other fisheries.”

However, Hansen’s proposal has been criticized by the environmental campaign Our Fish, who described the decision to cut the 2019 quota by 70% as “far too little, far too late”.

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, coordinator of the Danish Our Fish campaign, said: “The minister’s proposal to reduce the quota by 70% is less impressive than she would have us believe — an enormous 7,233t of cod will still be fished, under the questionable auspices of ‘unavoidable bycatch’. This will not save eastern Baltic cod, and only serves to perpetuate overfishing by an industry that is renowned for failing to transition to a sustainable model.”

Continue reading: Danish minister’s call for 70% slash in Baltic cod quota ‘too little, too late’ says NGO

København, 26 april: Fiskeriminister Eva Kjer Hansen har meldt ud, at hun er villig til at skære 70 % af dette års fiskekvote for torsk i den Østlige Østersø i et forsøg på at redde torsken.

Kampagnekoordinator i Our Fish,  Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer ( 21977905), siger:

“Det er naturligvis et skridt i den rigtige retning, at Fiskeriminister Eva Kjer Hansen nu vil arbejde for at stoppe torskefiskeri i den Østlige Østersø, men hendes hjælp kommer desværre for sent og er for uambitiøs (1).”

“Ministerens forslag om at reducere fiskekvoten med 70% er ikke så imponerende, som det måske kan se ud, for det vil stadig være tilladt at hive hele 7.233 tons torsk op af havet som såkaldt bifangst, og det er alt for meget for en bestand i krise.”

“Eva Kjer Hansens forslag vil ikke redde torsken i den østlige Østersø og bremse overfiskeri fra et fiskeri, der desværre endnu ikke har formået at bevæge sig i en bæredygtig retning.”

Gårsdagens melding fra Eva Kjer Hansen kommer i kølvandet på en alarmerende rapport udgivet tidligere på måneden af ICES, det International Havundersøgelsesråd. Rapporten viste, at torsken i den Østlige Østersø nu er nede på et så kritisk lavt niveau, at den ikke er i stand til at reproducere sig selv i tilstrækkelig grad til at sikre en bæredygtig bestand fremover [2]. ICES-rapporten udløste på daværende tidspunkt et fælles brev fra en række NGO’er, der blev sendt til alle fiskeriministrene i landene omkring Østersøen, og hvor NGO’erne bad ministrene om at beskytte torsken ved at lukke fiskeriet i den Østlige Østersø ned med øjeblikkelig virkning og inden gydeperioden i maj, sådan som Europas Fælles Fiskeripolitik giver dem mulighed for.

Forskere har i mange år advaret politikerne mod den kritiske tilstand, som torsken i den østlige Østersø er i, ikke mindst som følge af en meget lille bestandstørrelse, svindende størrelse på fiskene når de er modne til at reproducere sig selv og mangel på føde [2]. Trods advarslerne har fiskeriministerene siden 2013 ikke nedsat fiskekvoterner tilstrækkeligt. I 2018, sagde ICES, at fangsterne af østersøtorsk i 2019 ikke måtte overskride 16.685 tons, hvis ellers forsigtighedsprincippet skulle følges [3]. Det valgte EU Kommissionen og fiskeriministrene at ignorere og satte således fiskekvoten til 24.112 tons.  Det svarer til en overskridelse af rådet fra ICES med 7.427 tons (45%). Eva Kjer Hansens nye forslag om en 70% reduktion af kvoten betyder, at hele 7.233 tons torsk fra østlige Østersø stadig kan fanges – det er næsten samme mængde, som fiskeriministrene overskred ICES’ råd med for kvoten for 2019.

Derudover har ICES vurderet, at det totale udsmid af torsk fra østlige Østersø i 2017 var på 3.452 tons [3]. Eva Kjer Hansen tillader således med sit nye forslag fiskere at fange dobbelt så mange torsk fra Østlige Østersø som bifangst, end den mængde fisk, som forskere har vurderet rent faktisk blev fanget som bifangst i 2017. Forslaget er på den måde hverken med til at sikre øget initiativ til at øge selektionen i fiskeriet eller at nedsætte de negative påvirkninger for torsken fra andre fiskerier.

“I årevis er den årlige fiskekvote for torsk i Østlige Østersø blevet sat så højt, at fiskerne ikke engang formår at bruge kvoten fuldt ud, fordi der simpelthen er så få torsk tilbage at fange. Hårde tider betyder, at det er tid til hårde løsninger: Eva Kjer Hansen må lukke fiskeriet efter torsk i den Østlige Østersø ned med øjeblikkelig virkning og inden gydeperioden i maj og sikre nedsættelse af bifangst, så den kommer så tæt på nul, som muligt. Det bør inkludere øget overvågning af fartøjerne til havs, så udsmid ikke finder sted.”

Kontakt:  

Christina Koll, kommunikationsansvarlig, christina@our.fish, ‭ 28 10 90 21‬

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Our Fish kampagneansvarlig, cathrine@our.fish  21977905

Noter

Rapport fra ICES

[1]  Pressemeddelelse ra Fiskeriministeriet: http://um.dk/da/fiskeri/nyheder/NewsDisplayPage/?newsID=F35EA759-BF2B-450B-BC5B-5A3A1DACA7B0

[2]  ICES 2019 rapport fra Benchmark Workshop ang. Østersøtorsk (WKBALTCOD2) p.77.

http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Expert%20Group%20Report/acom/2019/WKBALTCOD2/WKBALTCOD2%202019.pdf

 

[3] ICES 2018 råd for torsk i Østlige Østersø

Photo: Agencja Fotograficzna Caro / Alamy Stock Photo /Frank Sorge

Friday 26 April, Copenhagen: Responding to the April 25th announcement by Danish Minister of Fisheries, Eva Kjer Hansen, that she is willing to cut the 2019 quota for Eastern Baltic cod by 70%, Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Our Fish campaign coordinator in Denmark, said:

“That Denmark’s fisheries minister Eva Kjer Hansen will now cooperate with her Baltic counterparts to close Eastern Baltic Cod fisheries is a step in the right direction, but her proposal is far too little, too late (1).”

“The Minister’s proposal to reduce the quota by 70% is less impressive than she would have us believe – an enormous 7,233 tonnes of cod will still be fished, under the questionable auspices of ‘unavoidable bycatch’. This will not save eastern Baltic cod, and only serves to perpetuate overfishing by an industry that is renowned for failing to transition to a sustainable model.”

Yesterday’s announcement from Denmark follows an alarming report published earlier this month by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, and a joint NGO letter to Baltic ministers calling for urgent protection of the cod stock. The ICES report found that the eastern Baltic cod population has reached such a critically low level that it is unable to reproduce itself sufficiently to maintain a future healthy stock [2].

In April, NGOs sent an open letter to Baltic Fisheries Ministers asking them to introduce emergency measures to protect the Eastern Baltic cod, in accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules. More specifically the letter suggested a full closure of the fishery for this particular cod stock, before the start of the cod spawning season in May, as a response to data from ICES experts clearly showing how Eastern Baltic Cod is now at a critically low level. Scientists and researchers have warned about the risk to the health of the eastern Baltic cod population for years – with specific concerns about the low stock numbers, small size at reproduction, and starvation [2]. Yet, since 2013, fisheries ministers have systematically failed to reduce the fishing quota of this vulnerable stock, and have repeatedly ignored scientific advice and continued overfishing.

In 2018, ICES advised that when the precautionary approach is applied, Eastern Baltic Cod catches for 2019 should be no more than 16,685 tonnes [3]. Yet, EU Commission and EU fisheries ministers ignored the advice and set a total fishing limit of 24,112 tonnes, thus exceeding the scientific advice by 7,427 tonnes (45%). The proposal from Minister Kjer Hansen for a 70% reduction of the total Eastern Baltic Cod quota would mean that 7,233 tonnes of Eastern Baltic Cod is allowed to be caught as bycatch – almost the same as the level of overfishing approved by ministers for 2019.

In addition, ICES estimated that in 2017 the total amount of eastern baltic cod discards were 3,452 tonnes [3]. Eva Kjer Hansen thus proposes to give fishermen a bycatch quota of this vulnerable species, which is more than double what scientists estimate is actually caught as bycatch. Denmark’s proposal neither introduces any incentive for a more selective fishery nor does it reduce the impact of other fisheries on the Eastern Baltic cod stock.

“For years, the annual quota for eastern Baltic cod has been set so high that fishermen can’t even catch their quota because there are so few cod left. Desperate times call for desperate measures: Eva Kjer Hansen must immediately close the fishery for Eastern Baltic Cod before the May spawning season begins, and introduce extra urgent measures to reduce the bycatch of cod to as close to zero as possible. This should include increased monitoring at sea of all vessels, including those that catch cod as ‘bycatch’, to ensure accurate documentation of all catches and limit illegal discarding”, continued Petersen Schirmer.

ENDS

Contacts:

EU Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, Our Fish, dave@our.fish, +34691826764

Denmark: Kristina Koll, Communications Advisor, christina@our.fish, ‭+45 28 10 90 21‬

Denmark: Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Our Fish campaign coordinator cathrine@our.fish (+45 21977905)

Notes

[1] Stop for torskefiskeri i Østersøen (Stop for cod fishing in the Baltic Sea) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark http://um.dk/da/fiskeri/nyheder/NewsDisplayPage/?newsID=F35EA759-BF2B-450B-BC5B-5A3A1DACA7B0

[2] ICES 2019, Report from Benchmark Workshop on Baltic Cod Stocks (WKBALTCOD2) p.77.

http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Expert%20Group%20Report/acom/2019/WKBALTCOD2/WKBALTCOD2%202019.pdf

The report, published by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), an intergovernmental marine science organization, found that the eastern Baltic cod population has reached such a critically low level that it is unable to reproduce itself sufficiently to maintain a future healthy stock, and suggested that even dropping the Eastern Baltic Cod quota to zero will not be enough to rebuild the population

[3] ICES 2018 advice for Eastern Baltic cod

Photo: Agencja Fotograficzna Caro / Alamy Stock Photo /Frank Sorge

 

Politiken: Luk torskefiskeriet i den østlige Østersø omgående

European Supermarket Magazine, 16 April 2019:

Environmental protection groups Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and Our Fish have called on German minister for agriculture Julia Klöckner to tackle overfishing.

The call follows data from the EU’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), which has concluded that fish stocks are recovering too slowly.

Full story: Environmental Groups Call For End To Overfishing

European Supermarket Magazine, 16 April 2019:

Environmental protection groups Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and Our Fish have called on German minister for agriculture Julia Klöckner to tackle overfishing.

The call follows data from the EU’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), which has concluded that fish stocks are recovering too slowly.

Full story: Environmental Groups Call For End To Overfishing